Town Hall meeting discusses importance of policy in New Hanover County

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- Policy is a six letter word, but according to the North Carolina Justice Center its meaning effects everyone from the mountains to the coast.

Teacher Lucas McLawhorn says the state’s education policy has him not only wearing red, but seeing it as well.

"We're losing good teachers,” said Lucas McLawhorn, a teacher at Myrtle Grove Middle School. “A student who has a teacher that doesn't care, and isn't invested, what are they going to learn? They need teachers who are passionate and the teachers who want to be there really aren't there for the money, but it helps."

Local businessman Bruce Holston says education isn’t the only thing suffering due to policy. The unemployment rate hovers around 9% in New Hanover County. Holston says that number could be hard to bring down due to the lack of new business coming to our area.

"We want smart industry, we want high tech industry, and we want industries that are not polluting,” said Bruce Holston. “We want industries that are going to bring the type of job where someone can make a living wage. So if you start looking at those kinds of companies and start looking their quality of life lens, are their employees going to like living here?"

State Representative Ted Davis took detailed notes of the meeting. Notes he says he will deliver on the house floor in Raleigh.

"Schools are a very important part of not only why individuals might want to move to New Hanover County, but also why industry may want to locate here because obviously they will bring in workers, and also employ workers here,” said Rep. Ted Davis, Jr. “They want to make sure their children are well educated so they will want to stay here, live here, and work here."

Davis says it’s important that legislators attend meetings like this to get the pulse of their constituents. He says if you are ever concerned about policy in your area simply pick up the phone and call.

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There is no commitment to public schools here, so parents have to factor in tuition for private school if they contemplate loving here. Any teacher who has a choice should leave to teach in a state that pays a decent wage and does not treat teachers with the contempt we see not only in Raleigh but here at home. New Hanover County will never be a desirable destination unless and until we have a government that invests in schools and refuses to destroy our environment.